Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bolton and Lisbon

For one person, living costs are similar in Bolton and in Lisbon: $2,245 and $2,210 a month, rent and utilities included.

Bolton, United Kingdom
Lisbon, Portugal
Bolton
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,245
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bolton and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bolton and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,245 per month in Bolton vs $2,210 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bolton $2,245
  • Lisbon $2,210

A couple spends around $3,309 per month in Bolton vs $3,275 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bolton $3,309
  • Lisbon $3,275

A family of three spends $4,374 per month in Bolton vs $4,341 in Lisbon, rent included.

  • Bolton $4,374
  • Lisbon $4,341

Bolton and Lisbon have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Bolton and Lisbon sit above the global median – Bolton by 65%, Lisbon by 62%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.30 £15.16
$16.65 €14.91
21.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.4 £66.0
$61.7 €55.3
43.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.81 £8.07
$11.36 €10.17
-4.84%
Cappuccino
$5.10 £3.81
$2.97 €2.66
71.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.44 £1.82
$2.29 €2.05
6.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 £1.32
$1.74 €1.56
1.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.45 £5.56
$3.40 €3.05
119.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.47 £4.83
$3.31 €2.96
95.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.26
$1.16 €1.04
45.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 £1.13
$1.91 €1.71
-20.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 £1.40
$1.51 €1.35
24.50%
Eggs
$4.14 £3.09
$4.02 €3.60
2.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.76 £7.29
$12.94 €11.59
-24.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.98 £6.70
$7.77 €6.96
15.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.83 £11.82
$17.76 €15.91
-10.87%
Apples (1kg)
$3.11 £2.32
$2.30 €2.06
35.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 £1.45
$1.73 €1.55
12.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.07 £2.29
$1.86 €1.66
65.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.45 £2.58
$2.59 €2.32
33.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 £1.12
$1.82 €1.63
-17.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 £1.25
$1.97 €1.76
-14.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.21 £0.91
$1.47 €1.32
-17.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.24 £0.93
$0.72 €0.65
72.22%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$24.01 £17.92
$6.58 €5.90
264.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.78 £8.05
$5.61 €5.02
92.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.48 £1.85
$1.36 €1.22
82.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 £2.30
$2.14 €1.91
43.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 £1.96
$2.33 €2.09
12.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$49.24 £36.77
$44.68 €40.01
10.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.93 £2.94
$3.85 €3.45
2.08%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.11 £1.57
$1.07 €0.96
97.20%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.25 £18.11
$16.46 €14.74
47.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.15 £1.61
$2.20 €1.97
-2.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.8K £29.0K
$34.2K €30.6K
13.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.1K £30.7K
$38.7K €34.7K
6.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$248 £185
$161 €144
53.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.34 £12.20
$18.41 €16.49
-11.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.34 £30.87
$32.74 €29.32
26.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$78.1 £58.3
$44.55 €39.90
75.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.59 £4.92
$19.10 €17.10
-65.50%
Cinema Ticket
$13.28 £9.91
$9.60 €8.60
38.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,444 £1,078
$668 €598
116.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.9K £14.9K
$17.6K €15.8K
13.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.8 £62.5
$102 €91.4
-17.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.99 £32.10
$44.46 €39.82
-3.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 £68.3
$98.5 €88.2
-7.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.4 £66.0
$124 €111
-28.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,245 £930
$1,608 €1,440
-22.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$997 £745
$1,190 €1,066
-16.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,968 £1,470
$2,812 €2,519
-30.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,580 £1,179
$2,013 €1,803
-21.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,839 €7,021
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,576 €4,098
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bolton
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$4,135 £3,087
$1,575 €1,411
162.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.99
3.85
29.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bolton: October 27, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bolton
$998
Lisbon
$1.2K 19.3% $193
Eating Out
Bolton
$323
Lisbon
$243 24.9% $80
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bolton
$305
Lisbon
$212 30.5% $93
Groceries & Markets
Bolton
$302
Lisbon
$272 9.9% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Bolton
$138
Lisbon
$166 20.3% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Bolton
$105
Lisbon
$64 39.1% $41
Getting Around
Bolton
$74
Lisbon
$63 14.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,245 in Bolton versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bolton are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Bolton versus $62 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $272 – making Lisbon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Bolton
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
18:55 6:55 PM
18:55 6:55 PM
Same time as Bolton
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
139,403
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bolton Lisbon 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bolton
  • Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Bolton vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,367 per month in Bolton and $3,315 in Lisbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bolton, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,245 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.
How do food prices compare in Bolton and in Lisbon?
Groceries cost about 11% more in Bolton, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,444 per month in Bolton and $668 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $3,000 enough for either Bolton or Lisbon?
$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $2,245 in Bolton and $2,210 in Lisbon, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Bolton or in Lisbon?
It depends on your priorities. Lisbon has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,210 in Lisbon to $2,245 in Bolton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is safer, Bolton or Lisbon?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Lisbon. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bolton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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